A cliché that continues to be proven true time and time again is that which states, “finding the right answers begins with asking the right questions.”
Most businesses go through some form of a self-assessment before putting dollars behind advertising, and with the competition in the digital space, it’s more important than ever.
When it comes to digital marketing and your business, creating a successful (and sustainable) strategy starts by knowing which questions to ask. In this article, I’ll lay out what the top 3 questions are that you should be asking during the process of putting together your business’s digital marketing campaigns.
1. The W’s (Who, What, Where, When, and Why?)
Yes, these are very basic questions. With that being said, they’re also very important. If you’re building a strategy from the ground up, it’s important that you answer them thoroughly and define them clearly. Here’s a brief breakdown of each question in terms of how it pertains to marketing.
Who? – Prior to having your campaigns go live, identify the audience you’re hoping to reach. Let this act as the guideline for targeting when setting up a new promotion or campaign.
What? – Stick to one easy-to-comprehend message that resonates loud and clear with your audience. Mixed messages or overloading information can complicate things for your potential customers.
Where? – This one is applicable if you’re advertising for a business that conducts transactions in-store. Use your best judgment to decide whether or not this is necessary for your advertisement.
When? – Again, this one might be more campaign-specific than the others. If you’re promoting an event or discount offer, make sure the details are clear so that your audience is motivated to ask.
Why? – Perhaps the most abstract question with a number of different answers, the “why” focuses on the things that set your business apart from the competition. The audience is helping to decide why they should choose you – give them the answer!
2. Which platform is best for my ad?
Facebook, YouTube, Instagram…by the time I finish this sentence it’s likely a new social media platform will have popped up. Deciding which to utilize for your marketing campaign isn’t always clearly recognizable.
Think back to previous “W” questions for guidance. For example, if you’re advertising to a younger audience, newer (relatively speaking) platforms like Snapchat or TikTok could provide a great opportunity to reach your target demographic. If your goal is to reach people of all ages and interests (for example, restaurants), Facebook is always a good option. If you’re a business looking to hire or a school looking to increase enrollment, LinkedIn has become increasingly effective over the past year.
Regardless of which platform you choose, remember that it’s important to tailor your creative to fit with the platform. If you’re running a campaign across multiple channels, consistency is key, but there should be some slight variations in an ad that shows on, for example, both Facebook and LinkedIn. Look up the standard best practices for wherever you’re advertising for up-to-date information regarding creative!
3. What are my KPIs?
KPIs, or key performance indicators, are crucial to identify before a campaign launches so that you can sufficiently evaluate its performance. If you’re simply hoping to “increase sales,” your objective might be too broad. Additionally, a lack of clearly-defined KPI measurements will make it more challenging to adjust your strategy in accordance to your goals.
Let’s go through some of the options you could lay out as KPIs for your next campaign.
Website visits – Increasing traffic to your business’s website is a good objective for nearly all businesses. Each user who visits your site has, at the very least, a baseline exposure to your brand and its capabilities. Specifically, measuring clicks on an ad that redirects your website is a KPI that could be used to monitor web traffic.
Form Fills – The objective of many social media campaigns is to get users to take real action toward their eventual goal. For example, if a car mechanic is looking to increase sales for a brake special, they might run an ad that directs users to the “Schedule Service” page on their website. With proper tracking in place, you can record how many times this form is filled out by people who clicked on your ad.
Not only are form fills great for showing that your ad is working, but you’ll also be able to gather valuable consumer data to use toward future marketing efforts.
Add-to-Cart or Purchases – At the end of the day, every business is looking to increase sales. However, tracking it can be a little bit more complicated.
Using purchases as a KPI has obvious value because it lets you know that your ad is getting users to convert. However, it’s important to note that customers often see an ad, don’t take action on it, but later visit your website and make a purchase.
If you’re going to use purchases as a KPI, don’t neglect to put other tracking measures in place that are able to account for purchases from users who saw your ad, even if they didn’t convert directly from the ad itself.
Reach/Impressions – Looking to get your name out there at a cost-effective price? Using reach (unique users reached) or impressions (total times your ad is viewed), can be the perfect KPI for you!
Brands who are new or looking to establish themselves might find it more beneficial to get their message out there without worrying about immediate conversions. As mentioned previously, the prices for these types of campaigns are usually affordable and they can be very beneficial in the long-run.
Prepare for Launch
Although I’ve only laid out a few, there are endless questions to ask when putting a campaign together. Each business has different goals, and digital advertising is all about finding the right fit for your objectives, budget, and audience.
Contact Brick Solid Brands today if you need assistance with getting your campaign up and running, and we’ll put together a solution that works for you!
